Here's why I don't make cakes for charity

Well, technically that title isn't entirely accurate, because I do occasionally make cakes for charity. But most of the time I say no to requests to donate cakes to charity, and here's why.

First, myself and my husband give a fair amount of money away to charity each month, and we have carefully chosen which ones we support. We also review this every so often, ably aided by the information given to us by chuggers in the town centre and door knockers. And the more money we earn, the more money we give away. So the first and most important reason is that if I make cakes for charity, I make less money myself, and can give less money away. The more cakes I sell rather than make for free (and my time is obviously finite), the more money I can give away.

Second, it's very hard to draw a line once you've started. If I say yes to a cause that's close to one of my friend's hearts, how do I say no to another? I have a maximum of 3 orders I will do for charity per year, and these are generally charities I have chosen and approach rather than ones I have been approached by. I have baked for the Aire Valley Against Incinerator fundraiser and bake for Keighley Healthy Living sales among others because they are causes I strongly believe in and want to support.

Third, I think the best way this whole thing can work is that if you really want to be able to auction off a cake or sell cupcakes to raise money for charity, buy them from me and then count that as your donation to the charity, and then make money for the charity by selling them. This way I also can donate more money too. These cakes will tend to carry a lower price tag too as they won't need to be customised so personally or be decorated with intricate personalised decorations.

In short, the majority of people wouldn't be able to use their work time and resources for free for a charity, and I choose not to either. It's not because I don't want to support charities; on the contrary, it's because by far the best use of my time and money is to earn the maximum I can from my business so I can give the maximum I can away.

If there's a charity you want to ask me about supporting, I will add it to my list of those to consider when I review who I support at the start of the next year.

I hope this helps to clarify where I stand on this one. And as always, if you'd like to order a cake you can use for a charity auction or bake sale, in West Yorkshire (Keighley, Bingley, Bradford, Saltaire, Skipton, Ilkley, Menston, Guiseley, Silsden & beyond!) visit: